SOMEONE MISSING A RIB??

WEEK FOUR 

CHAPTER FOUR:  “SOMEONE MISSING A RIB??”

      (This Chapter is a little longer than usual but it is well worth the read for both men and women!  It has an added special message to you Single Ladies)

Genesis 2… The Beginning of the Life for Woman:

OUR FOCUS TEXT…Genesis 2:18-24 (NIV)                                                  

This Week’s POINTS to MAKE…

POINT ONE….  To  BE  FRUITFUL

Verse 18) The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."                                                                                          

   One of the many reasons God created a mate for Adam was to multiply human life to occupy the earth. Without female companionship as a wife to Adam, he could not fulfill his role in reproducing the human race. In Genesis 1:28, Adam and Eve were given God’s mandate… “God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number….”  (Notice God blessed them first! Later in our study today this will be brought into another conversation)  But God knew Man could not do all that needed to come to pass by himself, he needed a helpmate!

   Another reason for the creation of Woman was that Man did not have to walk alone. They were created to be helpmates to one another. To walk side-by-side through life as one another’s equal companion.

   One last reason God created Woman was to introduce to us these nouns and verbs… love, grace and forgiveness, as they are all part of our daily walk with God. We will explore each of these as we get deeper into God’s Word with each of these Women of the Bible!!

POINT TWO…. AN AWESOME RESPONSIBILITY
 

Verse 19) Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.                

20a) So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field.

   Can you envision Adam at this time, walking through the land, eyeing each and every living creature, and giving them their name?                                  

   What an awesome responsibility!

‘He brought them to the man to see what he would name them.’

   Think about it… would you be able to come up with all the names that are now assigned to every animal???  Would you have named the deer a different name? What about the spider or the baboon, the eagle, or the shark?  Those names somehow fit each creature, don’t they?

 

   This was Man’s first act of dominion over all other creatures. KJV Bible uses the word ‘dominion’ in Gen. 1:26 & 28.
 

How would you like to have had all that responsibility at the beginning of your life?

   Thank goodness we don’t have the responsibility of naming all the creatures, but does God not give us this very day great responsibilities?  Yes! One is… To care for one another. Another is… To take care of our land from which so much of our resources come from to exist in life. Meaning…the land is the source for our food; the source for our oxygen and water, our living; etc, etc.
 

 

 

POINT THREE…. The  Missing  Rib  Mystery

What was missing in God’s perfect creation?

How did God make a helper that Adam would accept as equal and not as just another animal?

Verses 20b-21) But for Adam no suitable helper was found.  So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh.

   Every time my husband gets aggravated with me (which I’m proud to say that’s not too often) he says, “I want my rib back!” I say, “Sorry, what’s yours is mine and what’s mine is mine. Remember our wedding vows??”  We then have a big laugh!

 

Have you believed, as I believed growing up, that a woman had one rib more than a man??

   Now all my young life I was lead to believe that the man had one less rib than the woman. Where did this originate from? I guess the ‘old church’ (kinda like ‘old school’) once taught that since God removed a rib from Adam it made sense that the man was left with a rib missing.

   The fact is… men and women have the same amount of ribs! Well, how about that, we are equal in yet another way!! LOL!

   Upon doing in-depth research on this particular topic, I read so many different interpretations why God took a ‘rib’ that I got to the point I had to just stop reading and ask God to reveal to me… why a ‘rib’? 

   This is what God revealed to me…

• The rib is from the side of a body, therefore, Adam and Eve were meant to walk side-by-side in all their endeavors, just like husbands and wives are meant to do.

Please read on…

• If Eve had been created from a bone from Adam's head; it might have meant that man was to rule over Woman… but God did not take bone from Adam’s head. Did He? NO!
• If bone was removed from Adam’s foot; that could have been interpreted as man was to walk all over Woman… but God did not take bone from Adam’s foot. Did He? NO!
• If God had taken a bone from Adam’s arm or hand; it could have been construed that man was to hold Woman back from love, accomplishments, etc. Or another side of that coin… controlling her with his fist… but God did not take bone from Adam’s arm or hand. Did He? NO!

   I could go on and on, but do you see the point I’m making? So, what is that point??

Woman was taken from Adam’s rib to illustrate that…                                       

• She was to serve side-by-side with him as his equal help-mate companion
• A helper matched to him because she was ‘part’ of him. (‘Helper’ does not imply inferiority over either one!!!)                                                                   

God took the ‘rib’ from under Man’s arm that he might…

• Protect her
• The rib is near the heart that he might cherish her with all his being, to be dear to him

   One thing I did take from one of the commentaries was… the reason God used the rib was that it was the only bone he could safely remove from Adam’s body without crippling him!  Isn’t that interesting??

Verse 24… and they will become one flesh.  One flesh…It was almost like Adam was saying… “This is the one, Lord!! I am well pleased.” There was no question about Adam’s delight in his wife. God and Adam must have used the words God had been saying for six days after each creation … ‘He saw that it (Woman) was good’!!!  She was to be the other half of Man.

 

 

POINT FOUR…. LORD,  SAVE  ME  for  Your  Appointed  One

Verse 22) Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 

 

ATTENTION  SINGLE  LADIES (And MEN)…

 

Let’s take a moment to look at the latter part of verse 22… ‘and he brought her to the man’

   I wished I had allowed God to bring relationships and marriage to me instead of me going out and looking for myself!! From experiences of my past, those that I chose, on the whole, were NOT a suitable side-by-side equal companion, not a companion matched to me! Yes, I thought I knew what I wanted, but no, they were not matched to me as God’s chosen one. Lessons Learned – Wisdom Gained!!!!
 

   Now I know those of you who know me personally, and know the marriage I now have, that statement in the above paragraph does not apply to my God-Gift, David!!!  For once in my life I waited and allowed God to bring him to me!!! My wait lasted for seven years, but has been well worth the wait!!!

   Actually, to hear David tell it, I ran and he had to chase me down!! LOL! I love to hear his version, it makes me feel good to know that he too believes our marriage had and still has God’s hands all over it!!!!!!!!!

   My messages here for you single ladies, PLEASE, PLEASE, allow God to bring you together with your God-Gift, the ‘appointed one that God has chosen,’ and don’t go into all the wrong places looking for Mr. Right!!! (the same goes for you men looking for Mrs. Right)  

   You will not find God’s appointed mate for you in the dark places God would never enter into in the first place! And I don’t mean only ‘the dim light places’ but also ‘dark with corruption’ places. You will NEVER find God’s appointed mate sitting in a bar. God would NEVER place your appointed mate on a bar stool with a drink in his hands!! Nor will God place your appointed one at wild drinking parties or in ‘beds’ of impurity, because God would NEVER enter those places. Hear me SINGLES...Your ‘God appointed mate’ would never be placed in places as these!!   

   Remember the verse I mentioned earlier that we would return back to?  Gen. 1:28... "God blessed them and said...." The blessing was given first and THEN their life together begins! 
 

   I’ve been asked many times, “Does a marriage ever work out that I now have discovered was not someone God had appointed for me, and can the blessings of the Lord eventually come upon that marriage?” I say in most cases, no. Why? The parties involved never seek God and ask for His forgiveness and His blessings.

   But, yes, that marriage can come to be blessed by God, but the road to that blessing can sometimes prove to be a mighty rough and jagged road that most never make it through the journey to the blessing. But there is always ‘hope.’ But why take the chance when if you’d wait and rely on God to bring His ‘appointed one’ the journey will be worth the wait with multitude of blessings!!!

   If you are single, I hope that one day you will be able to hear the talk I’ve written called… “The 7 ‘Secret’ Ingredients To A Successful Relationship” for it is an eye opener! It speaks of ‘RED FLAGS’ and what to look for in one’s character, and so much more. It’s the things that most of us never think about that are the ‘secret ingredients’ that if we knew them before getting emotionally involved with someone it would sure save a lot of heartbreaks and turmoil!

   I don’t apologize for the strong truths in the above statements; I only write what God has me to write… the actuality of the teaching of His Word!  Take the word of one who learned the hard way, and I mean the HARD WAY in one case.

   But when you allow God’s hand to guide the two of you(you and your appointed mate) to the appointed time and the appointed place, life is a much sweeter, peaceful and a rewarding Gift!!  It is now my mission upon which God has appointed me to tell you Singles who are seeking a mate… wait on God to send His appointed one!!! And meantime…Be FAITHFUL to God, and PRAY for God’s guidance in all matters.

   Paul says in 2 Corinthians 11:2-3… “I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to Him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”

Meditate on the above verses. What would be your understanding of those two verses?

   God was very sensitive to Adam’s needs and wanted to provide genuine fulfillment for Man. He crafted a woman from the rib of Adam’s body so that they would be of the same substance… bone and flesh. Verse 23… "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man."                                                   

POINT FIVE… Oneness  of  Marriage  Between  Man  and  Women.

24) For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.                                                                      

   Reading the words of this verse, could it imply that Adam knew about ‘fathers and mothers’ at this point?  He never had a dad, and he had not yet become a father. Well, I have to be honest with you, I can’t answer that. That will be among the thousands of questions on my list I will be asking God once I get to heaven. A curious mind wants to know!! LOL.

   This verse is often used in marriage ceremonies, bringing forth the primary allegiance, a pledge, a commitment, to be the marriage between Man and Wife rather than to one’s parents. 

AND THE MESSAGE IS??

The Message Is…

• Adam’s anointed insight and intelligence were supernaturally enlarged to be able to name each and every species that was brought before him
• God made Man and Women to be help-mates to one another
• We today have responsibilities to one another and to the land of which we live
• The ‘rib’ was taken from Adam to signify we as women are not to be ruled over, not to be walked all over, not to be pushed away from love, accomplishments or worse, to be controlled by a fist (physical abuse)   
• And the message is… Eve was created to help Adam fulfill God’s purpose for mankind. Adam could not have done it alone. Eve was to fulfill a unique and special role, not only was she to be Adam’s companion, she was to help him care for the Garden of Eden, and we will explore that in weeks to come.

1^st MEMORY STATEMENT FOR THE WEEK… God had given Adam a great responsibility of…

1. naming each and every creature, and
2. to rule over all the creatures and the land - to care for them all

2^nd MEMORY STATEMENT FOR THE WEEK… Woman was taken from Adam’s rib to illustrate that she was to serve side-by-side with him as his equal companion, and a helper ‘matched to him’!

3^rd MEMORY STATEMENT FOR THE WEEK… Woman was designed to complete Man because God saw it was not good for Man to be alone

4^th MEMORY STATEMENT FOR THE WEEK… Man could not do all that needed to be done all by himself.

 

READING ASSIGNMENT for THIS WEEK:  Ephesians 5:22-33; Hosea 2:16

What do you read in these verses? Write out your thoughts.

COMING UP…    God cast the mold for all women when He created Eve. She embodies the original blueprint for all of us women. Eve was both powerful and dangerous! God’s definition for women and our significant place in His purpose came out in the planning phase of creation when His blueprint for woman was spread out on the table in heaven’s holy conference room. (taken in part from “Lost Women of the Bible’ by Carolyn Custis James)

   We will explore more of what the above statement means beginning next week when we enter into Ms Evie’s astounding life!!

May God’s purpose for your ‘rib’ be manifested to you this week!

c j

From the Funny Side of My Comic Brain…

God’s Beautiful Creation

Originally written by CJ Fortson September 1998  

“Lord, I’m so lonesome. I need a companion.” said Man.

“I have walked among all the animals You have blessed the earth with

and named each one,

but none have been suitable for becoming a help-mate,

and most of all, not one has proven to fill the

need for human companionship I so desire.”

God stopped what He was doing, stepped back and looked at His

handsome creation He called ‘Man’ and then said,

“Man, I do believe you’re right. Let me go to work on that right away!”

So God caused a deep sleep to come over Adam,

and He went to work immediately on His next very important creation.

 

God took a rib from Adam’s side, but as He held the rib so carefully in His hand,

visualizing a lovely and beautiful creation of a human Woman,

He spoke over the rib these words…

“Let the beauty of my creation in the rose be in her face,

the song of my birds be in her voice,

and the color of my rainbow reflect in her eyes.”

 

He couldn’t stop there, so He continued.

“Let the gentleness of the ocean breeze

and the laughter of the ocean waves add to her spirit.” 
 

He looked around His creation-land and saw animals grazing

and a slight grin came across His face, and He said.        

“I think she needs the gentleness of the baby lamb,

the playfulness of the kitten,

the will of the ox for her strength,

and for fun, let’s take a small touch of the crafty fox

to make her exciting!
 

Then God stepped back and took a long look at His work

 and decided it wasn’t quite finished yet.  

So, He went back to work.
 

He remembered how it felt when He made the mist earlier to wet the land

so this time He said, “Let’s add to her the freshness of the rain shower,

and the warmth of springtime.

Last but not least, let’s add the softness of the clouds above to her smile

and rays of sunshine into her hair.”
 

Then He said, “Now, I am finished!!

I shall call this beautiful creation ‘Woman ‘ of which I am well pleased!

Now Man will now be complete.”
 

He gently shook Adam from his deep sleep and said to him,

“Man, I give you this Woman, as your equal companion,

to love and protect her as you live in peace and harmony

throughout all the days of your life!”
 

With jaw dropped, Man gazed upon this beautiful new creation in awe...

and the world has never been the same since!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

NEED I SAY MORE????
cj